Reborn in the Enemy's Embrace

Violette hid fearfully behind Zion, not daring to look.

Dexter was the first to enter. He limped slowly. I felt like he was trembling. It was unclear if this trembling stemmed from fear or excitement.

"Sophia..." His voice was hoarse and unpleasant. The ruined tone felt suffocating.

"Sophia?" Zion echoed.

He furrowed his brow as he activated his phone’s flashlight.

There was a dull thud. The woman standing before us fell straight to the ground.

Zion’s expression darkened. He quickly grabbed a nearby stick and surveyed the surroundings cautiously.

It was a dead body.

Violette was just an ordinary medical student. Despite her strong character, she had never seen a body like this.

She screamed as she covered her eyes and crouched on the ground. It took her a moment to slowly lower her hands.

She cried as she asked Zion, "Zion, my legs are numb. I can’t look. Please check for me. Please, see if it’s Sophia."

She dared not confirm if the body was mine.

Not just Violette, even I couldn’t bear to look. Eventually, I took a deep breath and gathered the courage to move forward with Zion.

After seeing the face of the body, Zion sighed in relief. My soul, however, tensed up.

It wasn’t me.

Dexter retreated and fell to the ground. His gaze flickered around.

Suddenly, he ran out of the dormitory as if he was mad. He shouted, "Come out... Get out here..."

I watched Dexter in horror, unsure if he might have a mental illness. Perhaps he had a split personality. Could he be unaware of his actions, not knowing he had killed so many people?

"It’s not Sophia." Zion discarded the stick.

His brow furrowed as he called the station. Soon, the sound of police sirens approached. Violette sat on the ground and suddenly broke into uncontrollable sobs.

"Sophia... where is Sophia?"

She was afraid to look at the body, yet relieved it wasn’t mine.

The police and forensic team arrived at the scene. By the time Zion went out to look for Dexter, he was nowhere to be found.

I, too, gave up struggling and simply sat down on the ground. I wondered when this series of murders would finally end.

"The victim was around 23 years old," the forensic analyst began. "The skin is still elastic. She likely died about ten minutes ago. She seems to have died peacefully, probably due to the influence of drugs."

He briefly summarized the scene. "The victim had no ear piercings. These earrings were forcibly put through while she was alive. Her nails were pulled out and then glued back on. They likely weren’t her own."

I listened to the forensic analysis and smiled weakly.

I wondered how she could have died only about ten minutes ago. It took us half an hour just to get here with Dexter. I paused, then suddenly looked up. My whole body was trembling.

I wondered if there could be more than one murderer. Did Dexter have an accomplice? Or were there two people committing these crimes with strikingly similar methods?

Zion followed the police back to the station and immediately ordered a search for Dexter. "Find him. But don’t scare him. Bring him back," he instructed.

"Judging by that madman’s behavior, he knew there was a body at the old orphanage but didn’t know exactly where," Violette said. She was wrapped in a coat, shivering as she held a hot cup.

I sat beside her and leaned on her shoulder. Would she be terrified of sleeping at night if she knew souls truly existed in this world?

I smiled weakly, lost in thought, as I rested on Violette’s shoulder. Everything felt like a nightmare. Where would I go when I woke up?

"Officer Landon! The identification results are in," a colleague announced. "None of the nails on the body’s ten fingers belong to the victim. After testing... they belong to... to..." the colleague hesitated.

"Speak," Zion demanded.

"They belong to Sophia."

I watched as the cigarette in Zion’s hand fell to the ground, sparking on impact. The colleague’s shock was probably because I was a murder suspect just a few days ago.

I pondered on which murderer would pull out their own nails and place them on a victim’s body.

Violette’s cup shattered on the floor. She stood up abruptly. Her lips were pale.

"What... Whose nails were those?" she asked.

Violette seemed to have lost control after the question. She threw off her jacket and ran outside frantically.

She was terrified for me, fearing I was dead. Or worse, still alive and suffering.

I cried out with my arms wide and tried to stop her. She was all I had left. "Don’t go, Violette. Please don’t go."

Zion reacted quickly and grabbed Violette’s wrist. "Calm down. Maybe, just maybe, this is one of the killer’s tricks. She might still be alive. Don’t be rash."

Violette collapsed to her knees. She sobbed and clutched Zion’s leg. "Please, I beg you, find Sophia quickly. Please," she pleaded.

Violette’s cries to the police were desperate. She urged them to find me quickly. The thought of any further delay was unbearable. She couldn’t imagine the pain I might be enduring.

I crouched and covered my head as I shook with fear. I couldn’t bear to think about what the murderer might have done to me before my death.

He had pulled out my nails and crushed my finger joints. This made my hands look grotesque.

Perhaps the memory was too painful. I couldn’t remember where I had died.

All I could do was join Violette in her cries. We begged the police to solve the case quickly.

Around one in the morning, Damien arrived, looking grim. Zion must have informed him.

"We found another victim. The nails belong to Sophia," Zion stated indifferently.

Damien frowned. "So, the body isn’t hers?"

Zion looked at Damien. "Do you think Sophia is the kind of person who would pull out her own nails to place on a corpse?"

Zion was unsure of how Damien perceived me.

I wondered how I became so deranged in Damien’s eyes.

Damien clenched his fists tightly. His voice was deep. "She’s a lunatic."

I was shocked at Damien’s words. Even now, with my nails ripped out, he still refused to believe I was dead.

"Damien! Are you insane?" I yelled and rushed to grab his collar. "You bastard!"

I cried as I slapped him. It was something I would never have dared to do before. But it was futile. My hits were weak and ineffective.

"She could push Juliet down the stairs to kill her just to marry me. She could drug my drink and poison Juliet’s cake. Is there anything she won’t do?!" Damien’s eyes reddened as he had seemingly lost control.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Even now, you’re still slandering Sophia! Did you realize the police delayed their investigation because you said Sophia wasn’t missing? This is all your fault!"

Violette screamed and rushed forward to slap Damien. "If anything happens to her, you’re the murderer! You’re an accomplice! Bastard!"

"You’ve done so many disgusting things to Sophia. What kind of man are you?" Violette cried as she fought Damien.

Damien just stood there and let Violette hit him.

"Violette, what right do you have to hit Damien?" Juliet rushed in and pushed Violette away.

I tried to protect Violette in a panic. But Juliet was too strong. Violette stumbled and fell backward.

I reached out to help her but could only watch helplessly as she fell through my hands.

Thankfully, Zion rushed over to protect Violette.

"Damien, do you have any evidence for what you’re saying?" Zion frowned.

"Evidence? What evidence do you need to leave us alone? We’re getting married soon. Can’t you be happy for us?"

Juliet seemed crazy too. She showed the police her scars.

"These are the scars from when Sophia pushed me down the stairs! And the hospital records for the stomach pump! What more evidence do you need?"

Damien held Juliet gently, comforting her in a low voice. "Juliet, don’t be afraid. Calm down. I’m here."

"Sophia wants me dead! She’s tormenting us! When will she stop?" Juliet cried.

Her acting skills were on full display in Damien’s arms.

I numbly watched Damien. His eyes were filled with trust for Juliet.

With Juliet’s convincing act, he wouldn’t believe me.

"Officer Landon, Juliet and I have moved forward with our wedding. Here’s the invitation. If you want to catch Sophia, come to our wedding the day after tomorrow." Damien handed Zion an invitation and left with Juliet.

"Damien, if Sophia is really dead, will you regret it?" Violette asked from the floor.

Damien stopped and turned to look at Violette.

"If she’s dead, I’ll join her in death. If she’s alive, scheming all this to torment Juliet, I’ll have her committed to a mental institution. She’ll never see the light of day again!"